The US Department of State has issued its August 2026 Visa Bulletin, warning that some employment based Green Card categories could become unavailable
as the fiscal year enters its final two months and annual visa quotas near exhaustion. The department said additional adjustments, including retrogression of priority dates or suspension of certain categories, may be required before Fiscal Year 2026 ends on September 30 if visa allocations are fully used. EB 1 Category May Close for Indians The EB 1 employment based Green Card category remains current for all countries except India and China. For India, the Final Action Date remains October 15, 2022, while China advanced to July 1, 2023. The State Department warned that strong demand from Indian applicants could force the EB 1 category to become unavailable in the coming weeks if India's annual quota is exhausted before the fiscal year ends. "High demand and number use by applicants chargeable to India in the EB 1 visa category may necessitate making the category unavailable in the coming weeks," the bulletin said. EB 2 Remains Unavailable for India There was no change for Indian applicants in the EB 2 category, which remains unavailable after all available visa numbers for FY 2026 were allocated. China's EB 2 Final Action Date remains September 1, 2021, while the category continues to remain current for applicants from most other countries. The State Department also warned that growing demand could require further retrogression or temporary suspension of the category to stay within annual visa limits. EB 3 Shows Limited Movement The EB 3 category advanced by one month to September 1, 2024, for most countries. China's Final Action Date moved forward from December 22, 2021, to January 1, 2022. However, there was no movement for India, which remains at January 1, 2014, while the Philippines stays at August 1, 2023. EB 4 Advances The EB 4 category, including Certain Religious Workers, advanced by one month to October 15, 2022, for all countries. EB 5 Still Unavailable for India The EB 5 Unreserved investor category remains current for most countries but continues to be unavailable for India. For China, the Final Action Date remains December 1, 2016. The EB 5 Set Aside categories covering Rural, High Unemployment and Infrastructure projects continue to remain current for all countries. Family Sponsored Green Cards Among family sponsored Green Cards:
- The F2A category advanced to July 22, 2026 for all countries except Mexico, which moved to July 22, 2025.
- The F2B category advanced to January 1, 2018 for most countries.
- Mexico remained unchanged at February 15, 2009, while the Philippines advanced to June 1, 2013.
The State Department said it will continue monitoring visa demand through the remainder of the fiscal year and make further adjustments if necessary to ensure annual statutory limits are not exceeded.
